Report: Chris Carpenter ready to retire

According to a Boston Globe report, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter plans to retire and will make an announcement soon.

If you look at the facts, that's not a surprise. Carpenter has struggled with a nerve injury over the last two years that limited him to a handful of ineffective starts and an aborted rehab tour.

But the ultra competitive hurler up to this point has been unable to utter the dreaded R word.

Carp's agent, Bob LaMonte, revealed the hurler's decision to call it a career. He said Carpenter "may have an opportunity to work for the Cardinals organization."

I'd like to see Carpenter have an on-field role with the team because his knowledge of the game and competitive spirit are something that could benefit the team much more than a front office job or a week-long appearance in spring training.